Training Drabbles
by Anti-Twilight Forever
Summary: A series of drabbles that take place during Kyuta/Ren's training years with Kumatetsu.
1. Move Over!

**I saw the movie and had to write something. The end. NOW READ!**

 **Lol, nahh I'm kidding. I just saw the movie** _ **The Boy and the Beast**_ **and became inspired to write something; time seemed to fly in the movie, and I was left wondering what all happened during Kyuta's training years with Kumatetsu.**

 **I'm also going to TRY and not include too much fluff. The way the movie played out, the two would get majorly OOC if I did that.**

…

 **Though that's how this story came to mind. I promise this chapter will be the only one with something fluffy! I'll try hard to keep everyone in-character!**

… **speaking of fluff, I want a Chiko plushie. That little marshmallow-mouse was too cute!**

 **Disclaimer: All rights belong to Mamoru Hosoda.**

~BB~

 **Move Over!**

Winter set in Jutengai quite heavily that year.

Three days prior, Soshi- the Grandmaster of the Beast Kingdom- advised his citizens to stock up on food and firewood ahead of time so to avoid freezing and starvation, as he sensed the blizzard would be intense and keep everyone indoors.

Two days before the blizzard would hit, the rest of the beasts began to sense it too, and hurried throughout the market to gather as much food and supplies as possible. By the eve of the storm, every booth was practically cleaned out!

And then the snow began to fall. It started out as a light sleet, but after minutes started coming down thicker, until there was nothing to see out the window but white and gray.

Tatara looked out the window himself to know this, the beast-monkey shivering and pulling a blanket over his shoulders. "Geez, I knew we were in for a storm, but I never knew it would be this bad!" he stated, walking over and sitting down by the warm fireplace. "When will it stop?!"

Hyakushubo, his pig-beast friend, only sipped some warm tea. "Not until late in the night I'm guessing; by morning the snow will be so thick, it will block the doorway." He responded afterwards, looking out the window. "The enclosure has me worried, I must confess."

Tatara shrugged, coolly lying down on the couch. "So we'll be stuck inside for the day. We've got enough food, it's no big deal!"

"I wasn't talking about us," Hyakushubo looked out the window, in the direction of another house. "Kumatetsu and Kyuta will also be indoors until the snow melts."

Tatara's hair stood up as his eyes widened. "…Oh, crap! And we're not there to make sure they don't kill each other!"

His friend sighed. "I do not doubt their bickering will have increased… but I am sure Kumatetsu will not harm his apprentice, especially after the improvement they have both had in training."

"I bet ya they'll be at each other's throats before midnight." Tatara looked out the window. "Kumatetsu will probably bury the kid in the snow! He'll have a popsicle for an apprentice!"

Hyakushubo only shook his head. "Let us pray their heads stay as cool as the weather."

"…If that were so, we'd all be suffering heatstroke."

"Just go to bed."

~BB~

Knowing their friends well, Kyuta and Kumatetsu were in fact in another heated argument… and it wasn't even midnight. In fact, the two began bickering before the snow even started falling!

First it started out with the nine-year-old griping about being the only one having to buy food in a crowded market, ending up pushed and trampled just to get to a single booth, as well as having to search all over to find enough food to feed both him and the massive beast he had to live with.

Then came Kumatetsu's retort about his share of the work, that being insulating the hen-house so the chickens wouldn't freeze, chopping firewood all day, and still finding time to get as much training in with his apprentice as possible before the snow set in.

Kyuta continued the argument, bringing up how he does all the household chores while his master sleeps until noon, claiming that if he'd get off his lazy fur-hide and help out, they would have more time to train- as well as more supplies, if the bear-beast would go to the market instead of letting the kid get caught in a stampede.

They managed to blow off some steam with a bit of training, continuing even as the light snow began; once it got too slick to continue did they decide to call it a day and go inside… the master beating his pupil in an eating-race during dinner, leaving him to do the dishes.

Thus when the new argument arose about the boy's sleeping arrangements.

The first day he moved in with Kumatetsu, the bear-beast only gave his apprentice two pillows to sleep on (the boy ended up sleeping in the hen-house instead). The next day, Kyuta decided to deal with it- after all, he'd be tired enough from his chores and training that he could sleep on the bare floor!

But once the nights began to grow cold, he grew irritated with his lack of bedding. Especially since his master took the couch to himself!

Finally, the nine-year-old apprentice had enough. "I want a bed," he told Kumatetsu firmly.

"It's on the floor," his master replied, already on the couch and covered by a blanket, his back to the boy.

"I can't just sleep on two pillows! It's freezing!"

"Then go build a fire and sleep by it! …better yet sleep _in_ it,"

Kyuta punched him hard in the back. "Maybe I'll SET YOU on fire! How would you like THAT?!"

Kumatetsu sat up, glaring back at him. "What did I say about talking back to your master?! Either stick with what you've got or I'll throw you out in the snow! Maybe sleeping in a blizzard will teach you to be more appreciative!"

"I'd appreciate a decent bed- let alone a blanket!"

"Then you should've bought one, because I ain't giving up mine!"

"You don't even need one! You should be warm enough with all that fat fur! You should be hibernating!"

"It's hard to 'hibernate' with a mouthy kid keeping me up! Go to sleep!"

"Not without a blanket!" Quick as a blink, Kyuta whipped the blanket right off his master and took off!

"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK, YOU BRAT!" Kumatetsu bellowed, and chased the boy around the house.

As with every routine in which an argument led to a chase, Kumatetsu chased Kyuta around the table and all over the living room of the small house, both of them shouting at one another. Had it not been for the blizzard outside, they would run in and out the two doorways in a circle, perhaps even down the streets and all around the Beast Kingdom.

*Thud!*

Tonight the chase ended differently; with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, Kyuta ended up tripping over it, landing in a face-plant on the ground! "Oof!" the boy grunted… then suddenly rolled onto his back when his master whipped the blanket away from him!

"When I set my mind on something, I stick to it- that includes sleeping with a blanket!" Kumatetsu snapped, lying back down on the couch and wrapping the blankets tightly around himself. "Goodnight, brat."

Kyuta stood up, sneering. He wanted to run up and punch the bear-beast right in the face and fight for the blanket! But right now, he was too tired from the chase, lying down on his pillows.

There came a small squeak as Chiko, his pet mouse, poked his head out of the boy's hair- where he usually resided. The tiny fluffy companion scurried down onto the boy's chest, purring in concern.

"I'll get that blanket. You'll see." Kyuta muttered promisingly, stroking the mouse's head. In turn the mouse nuzzled up to his chin, curling up and drifting to sleep.

It didn't come easy, but after a while the apprentice managed to fall asleep.

~BB~

When Kyuta awoke the next morning, he heard the sound of a howling wind outside. Looking out the window, he saw that the snow was still falling. _So much for training outside,_ he thought, picking up the broom and deciding to practice a couple techniques indoors.

He looked over at his master, still asleep on the couch. As cold as it was, he would probably sleep most of the day. 'Like hibernation', Kyuta could imagine, and wondered if any beasts in Jutengai slept throughout the winter.

The apprentice tip-toed over to the couch. If his master was going to be sleeping in, he could snatch the blanket and curl up somewhere until noon.

He walked over to the couch, finding a flaw: the bear-beast was now lying on top of the blanket, snoring heavily. The boy tugged at the blanket, but it wasn't going to budge. He sighed in irritation, having the mind to smack his master with the broom.

Chiko purred atop his head, scurrying down his arm and onto the tip of the broom handle, looking at him with beady eyes. Kyuta sighed. "I'll wake him later," he mumbled, holding up his hand and letting the mouse hop on. "C'mon, lets get some breakfast, huh?"

After cooking up some eggs and toast, Kyuta sat down at the table, leaving a few crumbs aside for Chiko to munch on. Afterwards he practiced a couple more techniques with the broom… and after an hour, sat down in boredom.

His master was still asleep.

The apprentice looked around, wondering what to do next. On any other day, he would just go to the market or spend time with Tatara and Hyakushubo when they visited. But with everyone snowed in, his routine was altered. He had done all his household chores, so there was nothing for him to do…

Even if there was, it was too cold! He looked over at the fireplace, with a stack of locks right beside it. Building a fire sounded like the right idea. He had seen Kumatetsu build one before- all he needed to do was light some straw under a log.

Within a few minutes, he had a small fire going, having used the smallest log he could carry. He sat by the fireplace, holding his hands out towards the warmth of the flames. Due to the small log, the fire wasn't exactly a roaring blaze, leaving the lad still shivering.

"Move," came a gruff mumble, as the lad was grabbed by the head and set aside, watching as Kumatetsu grabbed a larger log and threw it on the fire. A few embers hopped but died out quick, the flames however building up. "When it's this cold, use the large logs, kid."

"I couldn't lift the large logs, idiot." Kyuta grumbled in response, crossing his arms.

"Then keep working on getting stronger," Kumatetsu walked to the kitchen to get his own breakfast. He was in the middle of cracking a couple eggs over rice when there was a *thud* followed by an 'Ouch!'; he poked his head out, seeing his apprentice rubbing his foot while sitting by a log.

He watched as the boy lifted the log- setting it down to take a breath for a moment before lifting again, until he managed to slip it back on the lower top of the pile. He then looked at the pile, grabbing each top-log by the edge and trying to lift it. Once he found one easy to lift, he pulled it out and began to lower and raise it with his arms.

The kid was working out using a log!

Kumatetsu chuckled to himself.

"Ow!"

The master busted out laughing when the kid gave himself a splinter. "When I said work on getting stronger, I didn't mean lifting logs until your arms fell off." He stated. "Start with something more basic, like push-ups and sit-ups. Twenty of 'em."

Kyuta, who was sucking the splinter out of his finger and prying it out with his teeth, only glared. "Twenty?"

"You want to make it fifty?"

Kyuta groaned but got on his hands and knees, doing a push-up.

Kumatetsu stomped his foot, hard enough to shake the floor and make the kid collapse. "Wrong! Like this," he then stretched out on the floor, standing on his toes and palms and doing five push-ups.

Kyuta nodded, following his example. His master sat down, watching him and counting.

By the time the boy got to '15', fatigue began to catch up on him, and the lack of sleep was starting to affect his exercise. "Slow! You're getting slow!" Kumatetsu snapped once he noticed this. "Give me 10 more for slacking!"

"You'd be slow too if you lost sleep!" Kyuta argued, forcing himself to keep up the pace with the push-ups.

"You're the one who decided to stay up complaining,"

"If I had a bed-!"

"Again with the bed…!"

The arguing went on for quite a while; the whole time Kyuta would be doing push-ups, sit-ups or practicing techniques alongside Kumatetsu, yet even the training didn't help them blow off steam.

Perhaps it was because of the cold weather keeping them inside, but the attitude between the master and his apprentice continued to sour as the day went on. Whether it was arguing about training inside a small space (Kumatetsu) to trying to get stronger (Kyuta), or being too slow (Kumatetsu) to being tired from sleeping on a cold floor (Kyuta), the conflict just seemed to go on for hours!

Many neighboring beasts would pause in their own tasks, listening to what some would call 'The Heated Argument That Melted the Blizzard'; three wolf-beasts started making bets on who would win the argument… calling it off as it never seemed to end, and they eventually forgot how it even started.

But, neither the master nor his apprentice would forget the key element that led to the arguing: the blanket.

"Fine! If you want it so bad, come and get it!" came Kumatetsu's roar, which Tatara heard from his house.

"I'll fight you for it!" was Kyuto's retort, and Hyakushubo counted down his fingers from '5' as a ruckus was heard, before hearing the boy's outrageous yell of defeat.

"…Told ya so," Tatara said to Hyakushubo, before yawning and falling asleep.

~BB~

By the time the two finished arguing, it was well past dinnertime. Kumatetsu was once again the first to fall asleep, regardless of his pupil's heated glare from the floor.

Kyuta himself couldn't sleep at all. _I would've beaten him if I wasn't so tired…_ he thought as he sat close to the fire, which was beginning to shrink. _And if that beast would just let me have a blanket, I would've slept better!_

Chiko purred, curling up in his hair and distracting the boy momentarily from his bitter thoughts. He had to chuckle, the way the fluffy mammal had made his head its own little nest. It was then he realized the mouse had been ducked in his locks since the arguing began. "You never leave my head for anything, not even when Kumatetsu and I are fighting." He whispered to the mouse, reaching up and rubbing his tiny furry head. "You really know how to hold your ground,"

The apprentice paused just then, an idea forming in his head.

Whether it was because of fatigue or raw rebellion clouding his mind, it didn't stop him from going through with the act that- to this very day- he thought was too crazy to pull off.

Standing up, he walked over to the couch, staring at his master a moment. The bear-beast was snoring heavily, lying on his back, the blanket draped over his form, though one paw was clenched around the edge- in case the lad got the idea to rob him of the soft fleece during his slumber.

But Kyuta had a different idea in mind. He grabbed a corner of the blanket, pulled it back…

Kumatetsu grunted and stirred in his sleep, feeling a brief chill…

Moving quickly, the boy crawled under the blanket, the bear-beast beneath him. He shivered a bit, feeling the coldness leave his body, warmth in his place.

No longer than two seconds within his settlement did Kumatetsu wake. "Zz-! What the he- HEY!" the master snapped, seeing the boy lying atop him. "What the hell are you doing?! Get off me!"

Kyuta only shook his head. "No way! You've been hogging the blanket every night, and I'm sick of sleeping on the floor!"

"You think I'm going to share my couch with some brat?!"

"If you're not going to give me a real one, this is where I'm sleeping!"

Kumatetsu sat up, the kid leaning back. His fur rustled with annoyance. "You are NOT using me as a pillow!" He tried to shove him off, but the kid clung onto his shirt, his grip tightening around the fur beneath. "Ow! Stop it!"

The boy, despite his fatigue, kept an iron-grip on the bear-beast, his arms stretched around his master's abdomen tightly while he was being pulled. In his hair, Chiko poked his head out, whimpering with concern before ducking back down. "I'm sick of freezing, and I'm sick of the floor! Until I have my own bed, we're sharing!"

"Kyuta, I swear to the Grandmaster, if you don't get off me, I'll roll over and crush you!"

"It would beat the hell out of the floor!"

Kumatetsu seethed, prying him off and pushing him onto the floor… but quickly as he did the boy just jumped back on his stomach! "Oof! Why you little…!" He grabbed him by the shirt, both of them glaring at each other. It was one of those times when Kumatetsu really wished he could throw the boy out, had he not need of the apprentice.

"If you keep knocking me down, I'll just climb back on you. I'll do it all winter if I have to!" Kyuta told him firmly, his dark gaze filled with promise. As if to make his point, he gripped back onto the bear-beast. "I'm not changing my mind."

A temple throbbed in Kumatetsu's head. He let go of the boy, rubbing his face while muttering a couple curses. "I'm too tired for this…" he groused, looking down at his apprentice who continued to give him that determined stare. "…Fine. But only for tonight- and I don't want any complaints about my snoring. And so help me, if you're a bed-wetter, you'll be sleeping with the hens!"

"I don't wet the bed," Kyuta sneered, grabbing the blanket that had slipped off his back and pulling it up to his shoulders as Kumatetsu leaned back.

The bear-beast grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it up to his own shoulders… covering the boy's head in the process.

Not that he cared.

"Hey!" Kyuta muffled; he shimmied upward until his head poked out. "What're you trying to do, suffocate me?!"

"What did I say about complaining?" Kumatetsu sneered. "If you're going to go through with this, you're going to take the good with the bad. In other words- suck it up and go to sleep!"

Kyuta grimaced, though his master had a point. It was his choice to go through with this plan, and regardless what Kumatetsu did he had to hold his ground. Sighing, he lied his head down, resting it on the bear-beast's chest.

 _*ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump*_

The boy blinked at the unusual sound, before he realized it was his master's heartbeat. _Huh… so he has a heart after all._ He thought, listening to the gentle thumping; mixed with the rhythm of his breathing, it was quite peaceful.

Within a few minutes, Kyuta drifted to sleep.

Kumatetsu waited until he heard the boy's soft snoring, before he sat up- figuring he could just set the kid down on the floor the moment he was out. His apprentice shifted, clinging onto him in his sleep, his grip just as tight as it was before. "Even stubborn in your sleep… You really can hold your ground," the master admitted quietly.

The boy only shifted, holding onto him tighter, shivering a bit as the blanket slipped. Kumatetsu sighed and lied back down, covering them both with the blanket. He folded one arm behind his head, the other draping over his apprentice's shoulders- mainly to hold the blanket in place, in his case.

Within moments, he was out like a light, snoring heavily; Kyuta groggily lifted his head to the sound, before lying it back down and snoring himself.

It beat sleeping on the floor, at least.

~BB~

It was past noon when Kumatetsu woke up… the boy still sound asleep on his abdomen. _Sheesh, he's usually an early-riser._ The bear-beast thought, having to chuckle. "Rise and shine, Kyuta." He stated, tapping the boy on the head.

"Zz… five more minutes…" Kyuta responded, obviously too comfortable.

"I SAID UP!" Kumatetsu exclaimed, whipping the blankets off and shoving the kid to the floor.

"Oof! Hey!"

"Ha ha ha! Now you know what it feels like to be disturbed from sleep!" The beast stood up and looked out the window; the sun was shining and there was at least 3 feet of snow outside. He walked over and grabbed a wide shovel, tossing it to Kyuta (who stumbled as he caught it). "Here. Go outside and start shoveling the snow. Now that the blizzard passed we can get back to some real training!"

"Seriously? I just woke up!"

"I said hop to it, brat! Do it now while the sun's high, and you won't freeze so much." With that, Kumatetsu left. "I'll be in town. See ya!"

Kyuta sneered, but went out.

Three hours passed as he shoveled the snow, until the yard was clear. By this time, Tatara and Hyakushubo came by. "Hey, you're not dead!" Tatara exclaimed in greeting, tussling the boy's hair. "As quiet as it got last night, we figured someone got killed! …er, wait, where's Kumatetsu?!"

"He went into town." Kyuta explained, finishing up his job and setting the shovel beside the door; going inside he made his visitors some tea.

"What exactly happened last night?" Hyakushubo asked. "I know you two have your share of bickering, but I did not expect it to last half the night!"

"I did," Tatara scoffed.

"He kept hogging the blanket, that's all. In the end, he let me have it just so he could get some sleep." Kyuta muttered, not exactly wanting to bring up the details of how he used his master as a pillow.

Tatara gawked. "Seriously?! All that yelling over a blanket?!"

"I suppose the coldness of winter causes everything simple to seem valuable, and tension rises when it lies between more than one owner." Hyakushubo claimed. "You were both cold, and both wanted the blanket. …Exactly, how did you reach a compromise?"

"I just wouldn't let him sleep until I got the blanket," Kyuta replied.

"Must've been a hard-won battle. Kudos to ya, kid," Tatara said, cheering him with his teacup before slurping it down. "I'm going to go find Kumatetsu, see ya." With that, the monkey-beast took off.

Hyakushubo only shook his head. "Have you eaten lunch yet?" he asked Kyuta.

"I haven't even had breakfast. I was up so late last night I slept until noon," Kyuta told him.

"It's important to be well-fed during the winter. Come, I'll help you cook something," The apprentice-monk guided him to the kitchen, helping him make stew. They sat down and ate, the pig-beast making conversation about the weather and how Jutengai only got one blizzard a year, as the climate was naturally warm.

Kumatetsu had not returned yet.

"Tell your master we'll visit tomorrow," Hyakushubo told the boy on his way out that afternoon. The apprentice nodded, bidding him farewell.

Kyuta got to work building a fire; he used the log he was lifting last night, followed by a lighter one, making a warm fire. Afterwards he got to work doing the dishes and sweeping around the house, practicing a few techniques with the broom as he did. By sunset he had dinner prepared, eating a bit while saving some for his master.

He sat down on the couch, tired from all the work. Chiko climbed down on his shoulder, munching on a piece of bread left from dinner. "Where is he?" Kyuta wondered; his master never stayed out this late.

During his wait, he dosed off.

…

*THUMP!*

Five minutes later he was on the floor. "What the…?! Hey!" he snapped, seeing Kumatetsu standing there, having flipped the boy out from under the blanket. "What's the big idea?!"

"It's almost sundown- what, have you've been lazing around all day?" the master prodded.

"I've been working my butt off! Where have you been?!"

"I had stuff to do."

"Yeah? What stuff?"

"None of your business! Now c'mon, lets get some training in while there's still daylight."

Kyuta sighed but followed.

~BB~

Once practice was over, Kumatetsu lied down on the couch. "By the way, you can forget about making me a mattress," he thumbed over his shoulder. "Sleep over there,"

Kyuta sneered but walked over… seeing a small area set up by the kitchen consisting of a mat, pillows, and a heavy blanket. "Where… where did this come from?" he asked.

"Just found a bunch of spare stuff stashed away. I didn't remember till you started complaining," The apprentice only looked at his master, stunned. "Well?! Go on! It's a bed, sleep on it!"

Kyuta nodded. He lied down on the mat, pulling the soft blanket up to his shoulders and resting his head on the pillows. No way they were just 'stashed somewhere'.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

The wind outside blew. Chiko purred softly on the pillow beside him. The logs on the fire crackled a little.

"You're welcome," came a quiet whisper.

Smiling slightly, Kyuta drifted to sleep, remaining warm the rest of the winter, and every winter after.

~BB~

 **A/N: Ahhhh, I'm sorry this came out horrible! XD Don't worry, this will be my only fluff attempt (for now) in this story. Hope the rest of the chapters will come out better!**

 **For now, I'd like to hear some constructive criticism. No flames though! (pretty sure Kumatetsu will be giving me a hard time once he finds this 9.9)**


	2. Imprint

**This next idea came into my head recently. After watching the movie a little more, it just wouldn't go away… so onward to the next drabble!**

 **This one doesn't necessarily take place during Ren/Kyuta's training; rather, it's about what was going through his head the first time he meets Kumatetsu and enters the Beast Kingdom.**

 **Just letting you know.**

 ***0***

 **Imprint**

" _Hey."_

I kept my head down, ignoring the stranger before me.

" _I said 'Hey'!"_

They stomped their foot, shaking the ground, but I didn't respond.

" _What, are you dead or something?"_

"Go away," I muttered. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to be alone.

" _Talking, well that means you're alive."_

"I said go away," I repeated, not looking up.

" _Where's your mom?"_

 _Dead._ I sneered in my head. It had been a week since the accident. Mom was driving to the store, when some drunk driver raced passed a red light and crashed into her. I was in school when I heard what happened.

But I wasn't going to say anything. "Shut up," I groused instead, getting pissed off at this nosy stranger.

" _What about your dad?"_ The stranger questioned.

 _Dad… where ARE you?_ A popular question that had been repeating through my mind after Mom died. He never came to the funeral, never called… I never saw him again after my parents split up.

Like he didn't want to see us… see me…

"Shut up! Say one more word and I'll KILL you!" I snarled, losing my temper.

" _Ooh, now I'm scared."_ A second stranger scoffed in sarcasm.

" _Let's have a look at the brat,"_ The first stranger stated.

Something furry brushed under my chin before getting a good grip, forcing me to look up…

I saw a furry muzzle beneath a hooded face… followed by piercing red eyes.

I remembered tales of monsters with such features, they were always about creatures hunting down kids to gobble them up. My heart was racing and I remained frozen in place, unable to run.

"What are you?!" I stammered in fear, staring into the red eyes. It was like the creature's sharp gaze had me hypnotized, like when a snake entrances its prey.

Suddenly I was shoved back, hitting the bike-rack hard. My head was ringing with pain as I sat up.

"Not bad," The creature stated.

"C'mon, lets go." His friend said.

They began to walk off, before the first looked over his shoulder. "Hey, kid, if you want you can come with me and become my apprentice,"

Apprentice?

I only stared, a bit confused.

"Hah?!" His friend gasped, then began shoving him along. "Are you crazy?! C'mon!"

I watched as they walked through an alley, and I quickly pursued. It was mostly out of curiosity, partly out of investigation- I had to find out whether I really did see a pair of creatures disguised in cloaks, or if I just imagined the whole thing…

Not even two minutes within my search was I grabbed by the police. I had seen them around on the streets- I had been avoiding them ever since I ran away. They were always finding lost or runaway kids and turning them in; now they caught me. "Where's your parents, kid?" one officer asked.

"L-Let me go!" I stammered.

"You're too young to be out this late at night. We'll contact your parents to come pick you up," the second officer stated.

I remembered the day I ran away. My aunt and uncle from my Mom's side of the family came to take me in, giving half-assed condolence and bringing up how 'I'm a big boy now' and 'will get used to the change in living in a new home' and other bullshit.

They were also the ones who convinced Mom to divorce Dad.

I hated them…

"No! I'm not going back!" I screamed, managing to pry away from the officers and I took off running.

I ran through the streets, looking back to see how far away I was from them, and looking ahead. I searched for an alley I could duck into and hide in…

That's when I saw a cloak.

I slowed down, looking down the alley where the creatures went.

" _Hey, kid, if you want you can come with me…"_

I looked over my shoulder, seeing the police would be catching up to me soon. I turned back towards the alley…

I ran in without further hesitation.

I didn't exactly know what I was getting myself into… but right now I didn't care. I didn't want to be caught by the police; I didn't want to be sent to live with people I hated; I didn't want to be around anyone in the city. I hated everyone- the police, my so-called guardians, my absent father, the drunk driver who got my mom killed… I just wanted to leave it all behind!

And if it meant following a couple… things… down an alley, so be it.

I followed their shadows… finding this alley a lot different than the rest. It felt more like a maze- I kept getting turned-around at every corner.

I saw animals in doorways and windows, as well as potted plants on various stands…

I focused on following the shadow, until suddenly I found myself completely lost. I turned around, seeing the path I came down suddenly led to a dead-end!

I began to panic, when suddenly I heard the sound of hooves, turning to find a horse-and-car coming my way! Where the heck did that come from?!

The horse's muzzle pushed against me, shoving me down an alley where, suddenly there was a bright light. How did these alleys keep changing?!

I fell on the ground, looking up… and finding that the 'horse and cart' was actually a horse- walking like a man and carrying a stack of fabrics on its back?!

I looked around, seeing that, all around, there were hundreds of creatures all around- they all looked like animals, but walked, spoke, and dressed like humans!

Fear enveloped me, and I decided to head back to Shibuya-

Only to find the alley had changed into a solid wall. "What the…?! I swear I came in this way!" I stammered to myself.

Panic overcame me, and I ran through the beast-filled marketplace, ending up crawling in order to avoid being spotted. I felt like I was in hell- maybe that was it. I probably followed a yokai here. Demons were known to trick people like that.

I crawled through various booths, searching for a place to hide, let alone an exit from this weird place!

Suddenly I was caught, finding myself surrounded by three wolf-creatures. "What is it?" one asked.

"I think it's a human," the second replied.

"Should we skin him and see what we can get for its hide?" the third asked.

"Maybe we should eat him," the first said.

"Or lock him in a cage," the second suggested.

"What do you think?" All three asked, taunting me.

"H-Help! Somebody help me!" I screamed.

"Let him go!" snapped a voice, and I looked over to see a pig-creature dressed as a monk staring coldly at the wolves. "You should all be ashamed,"

The wolves sneered but dropped me; not hesitating, I hurried over to the pig, who guided me away.

The pig led me away, giving me reassurance that the wolves were mere bullies who just acted tough; he introduced himself as Hyakushubo, an apprentice monk, claiming he would help me out.

I kept my arms around myself, listening to him but also trying to keep myself together. As we walked I relaxed a little, knowing that even though I was surrounded by a bunch of beasts I wasn't exactly in any danger…

"Hey, you actually came!" called a familiar voice, and I turned around.

Approaching was a large bear-creature. Without the cloak I wouldn't have recognized him; it was only by his voice, muzzle and those red eyes that I realized this was the same beast I had followed here.

"Not bad for a human-kid! I knew I was right about you!" he was exclaiming, and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me forth while grinning. I paled a bit, counting the fangs in his mouth.

"Stop that! Can't you see he's lost and frightened?!" Hyakushubo scolded, pulling me back. "We should be kind to the boy!"

The bear-beast sneered. "You monks are all alike! There's more to life than kindness, you know! And he's not lost-" he then reached and rubbed my head roughly; I felt like I was going to get whiplash! "I'm taking him in as my apprentice!"

The monk looked stunned. "What?!"

"Whoa! When I said you should get a human as an apprentice, I was only kidding!" came another voice, as a monkey-creature came forth.

"Tatara, what is the meaning of this?" Hyakushubo demanded.

Tatara began to explain to Hyakushubo about Kumatetsu looking for an apprentice (at one point he whispered something to the monk, stifling a snicker), concluding with how they went to the 'human world' to blow off some steam… and that's when they found me.

The monk was appalled. "So you kidnapped him?!"

"We didn't kidnap him! He followed us!" Kumatetsu sneered in offense.

"Then do the right thing and take him back where he belongs!"

I suddenly thought about my aunt and uncle again. My dad. All the kids with parents I saw walking on the streets.

"WHY SHOULD I?!" Kumatetsu bellowed, making me jump. "WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH TAKING IN A PROMISING YOUNGSTER, HUH?!"

"And what of his parents? Have you've considered how worried they'll be?" The monk questioned sternly.

"If they cared, they wouldn't have let him wander the streets alone in the middle of the night!"

I clenched my fists. "I'm not going back," I muttered.

"Huh?" Tatara asked, looking at me.

I looked up at Kumatetsu. "I'll go with you,"

"HA! SEE?!" Kumatetsu boasted, grabbing my head again and rubbing it. "The kid wants to stay!"

"But… what about your parents? Your mother? Your father?" The monk questioned me.

"Hey! He made this choice, let him keep it!" Kumatetsu started walking. "If he wimps out and changes his mind, THEN you can take him back. …C'mon, kid."

I followed him, giving a nod to Hyakushubo as I passed him.

As we walked, I looked around at the scenery. The buildings seemed to be ancient; outside of a few street lights, it almost felt like I walked back in time two-hundred years.

Kumatetsu walked ahead of me in silence. It was weird; he didn't bring up 'how I'd like my new home' or 'how much fun we'd have' and other sappy stuff like my relatives did. Maybe he was just happy I agreed to stay with him and decided to leave it at that.

…

Why did I choose to go with him? Sure, I didn't want to go back to Shibuya and deal with everyone, but… living with a beast?

I thought back to earlier. His piercing gaze just held on me, and I sat there frozen in fear.

Minutes later I was running from police… unbelievably, more afraid of being sent back to people I hated than seeing the red eyes of a vicious beast.

I thought hard about that split second when we made eye-contact. He seemed to study me, as if watching to see what I would do. Scream? Push away? Cry? He seemed satisfied when I did none of those things.

And now I was following him home…

I was growing tired by the time we reached his house. After a long silence during our walk, I finally spoke. "What do you mean by 'apprentice'?" I asked.

"It means, from now on I'm the one who's going to feed ya," Kumatetsu responded, kicking away a few dirty clothes, bottles and other things in his path in order to clear a space on the floor. He threw down two pillows. "You sleep there,"

I looked at the two pillows, but didn't move from the doorway. I wasn't comfortable being in a stranger's house, let alone a beast's, despite it looked like any other messy house.

"And I don't tolerate cry-babies- no use for them. So if you cry, I'll kick you out,"

"I won't cry." I answered immediately, keeping my voice even.

"Then we should get along fine,"

"But that doesn't mean I'll be your apprentice."

"Then why'd you follow me?"

"I don't know."

I really didn't. Considering my new 'caretaker' wasn't showing much hospitality, I kept questioning my decision.

He leaned back. "You don't have to say it. I know you have nowhere else to go," he said.

I started to grow annoyed. For the past week all I was getting was sympathy- as if the people back in Shibuya knew how I really felt. "You feeling sorry for me?" I scoffed, ready to snap, tell him I didn't need-

"WHY SHOULD I? So you have to make it on your own! A lot of people do it! It doesn't make you special." Kumatetsu snapped, as if my question insulted him.

That… was the opposite of what I was expecting.

Well then. At least I knew he wasn't taking me in out of pity.

"What's your name?"

Seriously? He was asking that now? "I'm not telling," I said in defiance.

"What?!"

"That's personal information!" I learned it was never wise to give a stranger your real name- especially if I end up on the 'Missing Child's list. Suppose he changed his mind and contacted the police… or held me ransom?

"Well, then how old are you?"

I thought for a moment. My age was alright to give- after all, I didn't want him to think I was a little kid who couldn't take care of himself. As if to make this point clear, I held up my fingers to show my age, just to reassure him I could count.

"Oh… I see." He then grinned. "Well, now you're a 9-year-old named Kyuta!"

I gawked. Normally adults would keep asking for your name- not name you like some pet! "You can't just make up a name for me!" I sputtered.

"Really? Sounds like I just did," he retorted. He then lied down, pulling a blanket over his shoulder. "Well, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, Kyuta."

I stood there a moment, not knowing how to respond. When snoring filled the silence, I decided to step outside, looking out at the strange city I had found.

So I was living with a beast now. Not only that, a beast who didn't really care about the fact I was an orphan. He didn't offer me any comfort, didn't mention how he'd take good care of me, and he didn't ask if I wanted anything to lift my spirits. He just wanted an apprentice, that was that.

Not that I cared… I was sick of hearing about it from others. The only one I wanted to hear it from was…

"Ren," came a soft voice. I turned around, seeing Mom standing there with a tray. "I made you a ham omelet. Come eat it before it gets cold,"

I smiled, giving a nod. "Okay," I said, walking forth…

I blinked, and the figment of my imagination vanished.

I stood there, looking at the ground.

Mom always took good care of me…

But she was gone now.

I had no clue where my dad was. I didn't even know whether he cared I ran away.

I turned around, looking back at the animal city once more, sitting down and lightly sobbing.

There was a purr, as Chiko crawled down onto my shoulder, rubbing against me in comfort. I found the little mouse in an alley; after sharing a piece of food with him, he stuck by me ever since. He was the only one I didn't mind receiving sympathy from.

" _I don't tolerate cry-babies- no use for them."_

I looked up, remembering what Kumatetsu said.

…

In a way, he had a point. I couldn't just sit around crying anymore.

I said I would stay in this world… even if I changed my mind, the way I came from was sealed off.

"I have to move on now, Chiko." I whispered to the mouse. "I miss Mom… but there's nothing I can do about it. I just have to keep going… even if I am living here from now on."

Chiko purred, curling up on my shoulder as I stood up. I walked back towards the house, looking inside.

Kumatetsu was still asleep.

I looked at the floor at the two pillows, and the junk littered around.

I rubbed my arm… I wasn't ready to sleep under the same roof as the beast, yet.

Looking over, I saw a hen-house. Peeking inside, I saw a few chickens nested down. A few clucked in confusion as I entered, closing the door behind me before lying down to sleep.

I fell asleep, thinking about Kumatetsu's piercing gaze, wondering why I chose to follow him home.

Perhaps, in time, I would find a reason.

*0*

 **A/N: …I swear this was supposed to come out better :P**

 **Basically the idea came to me from the moment when Ren saw Kumatetsu's eyes. The idea of 'imprint' came to mind, as despite seeing the beast's face he still decided to follow him to Jutengai.**

 **It can also be foreshadowing on how Kyuta copies his every movement later on- first, he has to get used to living with him. Kind of like how a baby duck follows the first animal it first lays eyes on.**

 **[Kumatetsu: I'm not a duck!]**

 ***had to throw that in lol***

 **I also threw in some extra dialogue, as I felt the conversation about Kumatetsu taking Kyuta in as an apprentice was cut short.**

 **So… yeah, it's terrible XD If there's any constructive criticism you have to give, I'm open!**

 **But no flames.**


	3. Defense

**So… you guys know how I said I wasn't going to include too much fluff in this story?**

… **I failed XD**

 **This was yet another idea that came into my mind and wouldn't leave. I kept thinking, 'What would happen if someone hurt Kyuta really bad, and what would Kumatetsu do?'**

 **So it may be AU, or the characters might get OOC- but this is Fanfiction, not some spin-off series written for television (thank goodness for that lol) Read on and enjoy nonetheless!**

 **Also special thanks to** _ **CampionSayn**_ **for pointing out my spelling error on Chico's name.**

 ***Note: This takes place when Kyuta's 9 and still copying Kumatetsu, so before he memorizes his every move.**

 **~T~**

 **Defense**

Far across the lands of the Beast Kingdom there was a large city, built from bamboo stalks and stones, surrounded by sequoia trees, and having long vines growing around. In this city there stood a massive building build of marble stone, with flowered vines growing along its walls and long dark-red shrouds covering the doorways.

Within the structure was a circular courtroom, where several beasts sat; two beasts, that of two gorillas, stood beside a leopard-beast, wearing an eye-patch. Before them, seated behind a podium, was an old but wise white tiger-beast known as Lord Tao, master of the city and yet another great fighter.

Tao looked down at the leopard-beast with great disapproval. "Pantera," he stated firmly. "You are here today to face various charges over the misuse of your skill- robbing merchants of their goods, starting street-fights, breaking property, and escaping from jail when arrested. As your former master, I cannot begin to state how ashamed I am of you."

"Like I care what you have to think, old man." The leopard, Pantera, sneered. One of the gorillas smacked him upside the head for his disrespect.

Tao went on as if he did not hear the insult. "All of these I could look over as common crimes, which would result in community service for the next 50 years of your life. However, there is one act I cannot abide- going into the human-world and attacking the natives that live there."

The courtroom was an echo of murmurs, whispers and gasps. Pantera only scowled. "So what? We're far more superior than humans- we can reincarnate into gods, they can't! We're stronger, tougher, and more powerful! I say we should take over the human-world!"

"Such an imbalance would lead to futility. We have our own world to live in, they have theirs- yet in a way whatever happens in their world reflects on our own. You were taught to leave them be… but you let your prejudice blind you."

"It didn't blind me… I see clearly enough to know that you shouldn't rule this city!" Pantera then broke loose of his bonds and lunged-

*POW!*

There was a bright flash of light; when it faded, all anyone saw was Pantera lying on the ground, while Lord Tao stood in a pose with his palm facing outward, as if he struck his ex-student in the face. He turned to the court. "Pantera is to be exiled from our city; send word to other lands to not give him hospitality nor refuge; and seal off our entrance to the human-world, so that he may not enter it again."

…

When Pantera regained consciousness, he found himself out in the middle of a desert, miles from the city. Pinned to his shirt was also a copy of Lord Tao's proclamation, with his picture attached to it. He sneered, ripping it to shreds, growling and standing up.

He roared in frustration, pounding his massive fists on the dusty ground with such force, a large plume of debris exploded into the air!

Once it cleared, he was already walking across the landscape.

He was not angry at his old master; Lord Tao always did what was best for his city, and had been a good master- up until his student went rogue.

He wasn't angry at the city. He was planning on leaving it since he was a teen.

No, he was only angry at the human world…

Every time he went over there and saw the tall buildings, the massive crowds, those… strange mechanisms of various shapes and sizes that were either used for communication or entertainment, and those metal mobile carts… hearing all the noise they made… learning that they could turn into monsters because of the darkness in their hearts…

And yet all the beasts in the lands lived out their lives in secret, allowing these… these… _vermin_ to continue to pollute the world with their very presence?! Pantera, in his belief, had a right to sneak into their world and attack them! Better to kill something that could become a monster, before it can get the chance right?

But no. Lord Tao forbade it, claiming 'genocide' would only leave a negative impact on both their worlds. And now he made it to where Pantera could never enter the human world to do so.

The leopard clenched his fists, continuing his trek across the desert. _Rotten humans…_ he thought.

~T~

 _(A/N: Okay enough with the antagonist's intro. On to the characters we love!)_

It had been over three weeks since Kyuta became Kumatetsu's apprentice, the boy still following the beast around like a shadow. Ever since their journey to other lands to seek guidance about true strength had ended, the apprentice had been copying his master's every move, trying to learn the skills to fight.

He did it in secret of course- as soon as Kumatetsu looked over his shoulder, Kyuta would act casual.

However, the bear-beast was on to his little game, pretending to be oblivious of the boy's mimicry; sometimes he would have fun and do something challenging, such as jump up the wall of his patio and onto the edge… and watch as his apprentice would try to jump up high as well, shaking his head and chuckling before calling the boy to hurry up the stairs and get to his chores.

But today he wasn't in much of a joking mood. He had to do some work today in order to earn money for food- since he had a kid to feed, he had to start pulling extra jobs. Today's job included hauling lumber for a canine-beast who was building a shack… and then helping build the shack in order to earn a little extra.

Kyuta was told to sit and stay quiet, the boy playing with his pet mouse, Chico, the whole time. But once the job was complete, he began copying his master's every move- every step, every shrug, every grunt, every itch, every sneeze…

It got annoying sometimes.

What really ticked off the bear-beast was how some of the locals would stop and stare, as if the two were putting on a street-act. At one point he shot someone a glare because they were staring too long- Kyuta following his example. The passerby only looked away awkwardly, hurrying to get back to his own affairs.

Wanting a break, Kumatetsu handed Kyuta some gold coins. "Here, go buy us some bread." He told him, shoving him toward the marketplace. "And _only_ bread- I don't want you blowing money on sweets like you did last time!"

"Alright, (sheesh)," Kyuta muttered, walking off.

Kumatetsu sighed in exhaustion, sitting down on a low-wall. Tatara happened to be passing by then, having to chuckle. "Getting tired of your shadow already?" he asked, leaning against a tree growing nearby. "I figured you were starting to enjoy the kid watching your every move,"

"Shut up. At least he's learning something," Kumatetsu sneered. "…maybe if I'm lucky he'll learn to sleep in,"

"With your habits, I'm hoping he doesn't learn to get drunk,"

Kumatetsu gave him a heated glare. "I don't drink around the kid."

"Oh, then he's teaching you how to be responsible, then." Tatara gave him a nudge. "Why don't we go out for a cold one tonight? You've been working your butt off- you could use a break from being a role model,"

"Tatara!" came a scold from Hyakushubo, as the apprentice-monk walked by. "Don't be putting ill-mannered thoughts in Kumatetsu's head; a master is supposed to set a positive influence on his apprentice, not be led astray by others."

Tatara gave an innocent grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah ha, I was just testing him!"

"Don't you two have your own lives to get to?" Kumatetsu sneered.

Suddenly a female sheep-beast walked over to them. "Kumatetsu, you have a human for an apprentice, correct?" she asked.

"Sheesh, someone's behind on the gossip," Tatara commented, only to get a glare from Hyakushubo.

"What about him?" Kumatetsu asked.

"He's getting beaten by a group of kids, that's what!" The sheep-woman said, pointing down the street.

"WHAT?!" Kumatetsu stood up, running in the direction. Sure enough, in a circle of kids, he saw Kyuta getting pushed back and forth between a wolf-kid and a lion-kid.

"So you're the wimp Jiromaru was talking about huh?!" The lion-kid was teasing, tripping Kyuta to the ground.

"Yeah, what a weakling!" The wolf-kid was sniggering, sitting on his back and pinning his arms behind him. "What's the matter, human? Can't you fight back?!"

The circle of kids suddenly dispersed as a shadow loomed over them, and the two tormentors looked up to see Kumatetsu. The two quickly scrambled to their feet and took off running.

Kyuta stood up; unlike last time he got in a fight, he didn't have any bruises. "Geez, you really can't fight, can you?" Tatara commented.

"Give me a break! They all ganged up on me!" Kyuta snapped, red in the face.

"Yeah, well, you could've at least swung a punch or something." Kumatetsu scoffed. "You were letting those guys pass you around like a ball!"

"I did throw a punch… I tried to do something, but everyone started grabbing me and shoving me around."

"He _was_ outnumbered," Hyakushubo stated. "Bullies often travel in packs, believing there's strength in numbers."

"Good thing your 'master' scared them off," Tatara said, nudging Kumatetsu.

"Shut up. I was just about to give them tips on how to rough him up, properly." The master sneered.

"Would those tips involve the words 'Whoosh' and 'Bang'?" Kyuta retorted (Tatara had to cover his mouth to contain a snicker).

Kumatetsu sneered. "Weren't you supposed to buy bread?"

"I can't, the stand was closed."

"Then give me back my money,"

Kyuta scowled. "I can't… those kids took it from me."

"They _what?!_ Dammit, I spent three hours working for that! _"_ Kumatetsu then shot off down the street. "Hey you kids, come back here…!"

Hyakushubo shook his head. "Stealing from another child… I can't believe they would do such a thing," he sighed.

"Oh they didn't. I lied," Kyuta said, smirking.

"Whoa-ho! You actually stiffed your master?! Boy, are _you_ going to be in a world of trouble when he finds out!" Tatara laughed as they followed him down the street.

"Yeah… but c'mon, he was calling me weak." Kyuta said, stopping to buy bread as he had been told. "Plus, I'm buying what he told me to buy. It's not like I'm stealing,"

"It's still dishonest. Those other boys will also get in trouble for something they didn't do- if not, Kumatetsu will be in trouble of accusing them of theft." Hyakushubo pointed out. "Just because they called you weak does not mean you should lie; two wrongs do not make a right."

"You never had a fun childhood, did you?" Tatara remarked, though was ignored.

Kyuta sighed. "Alright…" he muttered, looking down the street where Kumatetsu was already chewing out the wolf-kid, who was startled beyond belief. "Kumatetsu, I was kidding…!" He held up the bread in proof.

" _What…? Are you serious?!"_ Kumatetsu shouted- despite he was down the street, it sounded like he was right next to them. He dropped the wolf-kid, running towards them.

"Here, hold this." Kyuta told the apprentice-monk, handing him the bread before taking off in a sprint.

"Later, kid." Tatara said, giving a mock-wave before walking off.

Hyakushubo only sighed, walking along to drop off the bread at their house. "Still so much to learn…" he said to himself.

"GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN BRAT!" Kumatetsu shouted as he ran after Kyuta.

"It was just a joke to scare them!" Kyuta shot back.

"And to run off with my hard-earned money!"

"I bought the bread, didn't I?!"

"Then give me the change!"

"Not until you calm down!"

"Don't blackmail your master!"

"This isn't blackmail!"

"Yes it is- now slow down!"

"You calm down!"

"Kyuta, I swear to the Grandmaster if you don't listen-!"

A few locals watched as the two ran by. Despite it looked like the bear-beast was about to murder a human kid, they went on their way- it wasn't the first time they saw their chase, and everyone knew it wouldn't be the last.

However, someone else caught a first-time glimpse of the pursuit.

Pantera was crouched in an alley, having swiped a ham-leg off a butcher's stand, when he heard the shouts. He looked around the corner, watching as Kyuta raced by with Kumatetsu hot on his heels. _Wha…?! A human?! HERE?!_ He thought in shock.

Keeping low, he followed the chase, watching as Kumatetsu managed to leap up onto a street-light, swing forth, and land in front of the kid; Kyuta in response turned on his heel and tried to run, only to get caught by the shirt and hoisted upward.

Pantera smirked. Maybe the bear-beast was going to beat the kid, or threaten to eat him. It was a human runt, it would be easy to dispose of…

To his dismay, Kumatetsu only snapped at the boy, who retorted with his own smart remarks. The two argued for a solid ten minutes, before taking a breath, ending the dispute with exchanged glares. "You're doing the dishes for a week for this," the bear-beast sneered. "Now give me back my change,"

"Tch, fine…" was the boy's response, handing the beast some coins before getting dropped on the ground. They then walked off, the child following.

 _What the hell?! The shrimp wasn't even that scared!_ Pantera thought in disbelief.

He continued to follow them at a distance, watching from alleys and behind stands.

He noticed a pattern by the time dusk came around. The boy copied whatever the beast did while his back was turned. Walking the way he walked, stretching when he stretched… like he was his reflection or something.

Seeing a trio of wolves nearby, Pantera walked over to them. "Hey. What's the deal with the human kid following the bear around?" he asked.

"Heh, you must be out of town. That's Kumatetsu's apprentice," The first wolf responded. "He's been with him for a while now,"

"I bet he'll quit," The second wolf said.

"Yeah, I bet that too." The third wolf responded.

"For the last time, we all can't bet on the same thing!" The first wolf snapped.

"How did that human get here?" Pantera asked.

"I dunno… I heard he just followed Kumatetsu here, and he took the kid under his wing." The second wolf replied.

"Got a lot of work to do when it comes to him- first time he came here, he was a scared little wimp." The third replied, as they walked off. "He won't last a year, I bet."

"Me too." The second added.

"What did I just say?!" The first snapped.

Pantera looked in the direction Kumatetsu and Kyuta had gone, though they were out of sight. _Oh… he won't last the year, alright._ He thought with a grimace, slipping back into an alley. _In fact, I'll make sure that little vermin is gone by tomorrow night._

~T~

Kyuta woke up early the next morning, before the sun was even up. It wasn't that he slept early- rather, it was late into the night by the time he went to bed, as he had to fulfill his punishment and do the dishes.

No. He just had trouble sleeping, as thoughts of yesterday plagued his mind. Despite his harsh words, Kumatetsu had a point- Kyuta should have put up a better fight, even if he were outnumbered. He should have at least tried to squirm away from the group of bullies like he did with one of Iozin's apprentices the first day he walked around Jutengai.

But with every option he figured he had, he always thought of how it could backfire; if he tried to run away, they would just call him a coward and pick on him even more. Distracting them via the 'Look over there!' card wouldn't have worked. Playing 'dead' would only get him beaten more…

The only option he had was calling for help… but it would only make him look like a bigger wimp to them. Comments such as, 'The human needs his master to protect him!' or 'You're such a baby!' would be all he would hear every time he went into town.

Chances are, they were probably saying such things now.

Kyuta clenched his fists, marching down the steps to head into town and prove he could take care of himself.

…

He stopped at the corner. What had he to prove? He was still learning by watching Kumatetsu's actions. He wasn't very strong yet.

Sighing, the nine-year-old sat down. Chico popped up from his hair and shimmied down to his shoulder, purring in sympathy. "I'm fine, Chico. Don't worry," he whispered, giving the little mouse a pat on the head.

Someone walked over, and he looked up; the first thing he saw was a white piggy-hat. He recognized him as one of Iozin's sons- the one who had to 'save' him from Jiromaru's bullying. "Hi there," the boy in front of him said. "…Kyuta, right?"

"Y-yeah." He shook his hand, awkwardly.

"I didn't introduce myself last time. My name's Ichirohiko." He crouched down in front of him. "I heard you got into another fight the other day. If it was my brother again, I'll have a word with him."

"No, it wasn't him this time. Just a bunch of other kids," Kyuta looked to the ground. "And I don't need anyone sticking up for me. I need to learn to fight on my own,"

Ichirohiko nodded. "That's true... but you don't always have to do it alone. My father said that a strong man knows how to fight for himself, but a stronger man also knows when to seek help. That's why kings fight with armies- and why bullies travel in packs," he patted Kyuta on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid to ask for help if it happens again."

Kyuta only scowled, shifting away from him. Chico squeaked, nuzzling his neck.

Ichirohiko sighed, before walking off. "I've got errands to run… Just think about what I said, okay?"

Once he was gone, Kyuta shook his head, going back up the stairs. "…I have to get stronger," he whispered to himself.

…

While Kyuta returned home, Ichirohiko visited a stand to pick up some produce. As he did, he heard a couple lady-beasts talking. "Can you imagine? Some beast going around, causing trouble- and trying to attack his own Lord in court!" The first lady, a she-cat, was saying as she read a poster hanging on the wall.

"What is this world coming to?" The other lady, a mare-beast, responded with a sigh. "To start street-fights and rob others is one thing… but going to the human-world just to hunt for sport?"

Ichirohiko arched an eyebrow, looking at the poster that showed Pantera's picture. "This guy hunted… humans?" he questioned, eyes wide. His first thought was on Kyuta.

"And he was exiled for it." The she-cat added. She gave Ichirohiko a pat on the head. "Oh, don't worry. He won't get into our city without the Lord dealing with him first. …Why, I bet he'd have your father deal with him!"

Ichirohiko gave a grin, nodded, then walked away dropping the smile. He took a deep breath, letting it out. _She's right. Pantera won't come to this side of the Beast Kingdom- not with Dad around!_ He thought.

But he was still worried. And he had a right to be.

Stopping his brother and a few bullies from hurting Kyuta was something he could do. But to stop a criminal so strong that only a Grandmaster could take him down?

He looked over, seeing a rock sitting on the ground. _Father did say I should use my powers to help others…_ he thought.

Concentrating hard, he moved it up in the air, before 'throwing' it to knock over an old tin-can. He then rubbed his head; telekinesis took a lot of strength of mind. He had to keep training himself, if he wanted to protect anyone.

Deep in his heart, he hoped he wouldn't have to.

~T~

Later in the day, Kyuta got back into the routine of doing his chores while 'secretly' mimicking Kumatetsu's every move. Time flew by, and it was late afternoon, the boy finishing up the dishes from dinner; outside, Kumatetsu was having an arm-wrestling competition with Tatara.

Kyuta stepped out after their fifth round, Kumatetsu going undefeated. "Ha! I win again!" the master exclaimed.

"No fair, you keep cheating!" Tatara sneered.

"I don't cheat- you just don't try!"

"Can I try?" Kyuta asked, stepping forth.

Tatara busted out laughing. "Y-You?! Arm wrestle Kumatetsu?! Ha haa! Don't be ridiculous! He'd break your arm like a twig!" he teased… as Kumatetsu slammed his arm back. "OW! Not so hard, you jerk!"

"He'll probably put up a better fight than you could," Kumatetsu sneered. He motioned to the seat in front of him. "Alright, lets see what you got, kid."

Kyuta sat down and planted his elbow on the table, as his master did. Tatara chuckled, as the boy's arm was much shorter than the bear-beast's, and Kumatetsu had to adjust his angle so they could grasp hands.

The boy then gave it all his might, pushing against his master's hand, straining every muscle in his body, sweat dripping down his forehead…

Yet Kumatetsu's arm didn't budge.

"Are you even trying?" Hyakushubo questioned.

"I'm doing my best!" Kyuta snapped.

"I think he meant Kumatetsu," Tatara chuckled.

Kyuta looked at his master, noticing he was sitting there with a bored expression, as if he didn't even attempt to move his hand. A smug grin appeared on his face. " _Are_ you trying?" The apprentice questioned, a temple throbbing in his forehead.

"Are you?" Kumatetsu retorted, then quick as a blink slammed Kyuta's hand back! "I guess not!"

"Agh!" Kyuta grunted, rubbing his now-sore arm.

"Lesson one, kid- never let anyone psyche you out! Ha!"

"Must you be so harsh? It wouldn't hurt to go easier on the boy," Hyakushubo scolded the bear-beast.

Kumatetsu sneered. "It's called building character. Not everyone is going to go easy on him,"

"I think he learned that already. Seriously, if he couldn't even fight against kids his own size, what chance did he have in arm-wrestling?" Tatara threw in.

Kyuta fumed, turning red in the face. "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!" He then stormed off, rushing down the steps.

"Kyuta! Where are you going?!" Kumatetsu bellowed.

"I'm going to go fight those jerks and prove I'm not weak!" And the lad disappeared around the corner, as a lamp-post flickered.

As always, Kumatetsu raced after him. "You can't pick fights you can't win! Get back here! Kyuta! KYUTA!"

Tatara shook his head. "I think the only thing that kid learns from Kumatetsu is how to be short-tempered,"

Hyakushubo sighed, sitting down across from him. "You two really shouldn't have provoked him. You know how hard Kyuta has been working to be as strong as Kumatetsu,"

"Tch. Please. All the kid's been doing is following him around- the most he's going to master is nose-picking,"

"Do not think that just because he is still learning the basics he isn't a good apprentice. Why, I've been an apprentice-monk for 15 years, and there are still things I must learn- nevertheless, I gain true strength."

Tatara put his arm on the table. "Yeah? Lets see how strong you are- WAUGH!"

*THUD!*

Before the monkey-beast had time to finish, Hyakushubo gripped his hand and pinned it so hard, his friend hit the pavement. "…We also have our own fighting techniques- namely for defense, AND to teach others a lesson in being cocky." He said, standing up and walking off with a smirk.

"…next time, I'm taking on the kid… (ow)…" Tatara grumbled, rubbing his bruised arm.

~T~

Kumatetsu looked around the street; once again his apprentice managed to elude him. Despite the streets were practically deserted, save for a couple passerby, the kid managed to find a way to hide from his master. _Damn. That brat's gotten quicker since the first time._ He thought to himself, scratching his head as he looked around.

The sun was beginning to set; the bear-beast shouted for his apprentice to return, but as always the boy ignored him. As he searched, his eyes fell on a wall covered in posters. "What's all this? 'A Proclamation to All Lands (yadda yadda)…'" He read, squinting at the small print. Why did these declarations have to be written so tiny? "'Do not give passage to this beast, for he has been exiled for treason (blah blah blah)…'"

He skimmed through the lines- just another petty criminal report, he guessed. He was about to turn away when something on the bottom line caught his full attention.

"…'Hunted humans'…?" Kumatetsu looked closer, hoping that he misread that part.

Nope. Written plain as day, it claimed this beast, Pantera, would go over to the human-world for nothing more than to assault, most likely murder, humans.

Kumatetsu's jaw was agape, but he shook his head. _Calm down. The guy was exiled from a city miles from here! He couldn't make it all the way to Jutengai._ He thought to himself.

The three gambling wolves from earlier were walking over, looking at the posters. "Huh. This guy looks familiar," the first one said.

"Do we owe him money?" The second wondered.

"You idiots, we saw him in town yesterday!" The third snapped, slapping them upside the heads. He then wiggled his fingers in a 'spooky' manner at them. "He might still be here~"

"K-Knock it off, jerk!" The first sneered, shoving him.

"What?!" Kumatetsu gasped, then grabbed the third one by the vest. "Where did you see him?!"

"Er, down an alley in the marketplace! He seemed shady; we haven't seen him in or around town lately though…" The third wolf-beast gulped.

"He was asking about you and that human-kid, too." The second wolf-beast said. He turned to his comrades. "I bet he's looking for the kid now!"

"That's a sucker-bet!" The first scoffed.

Kumatetsu looked back at the market-place…

Normally Kyuta ran and hid there most…

Sometimes he'd go through the alleys…

"Dammit!" The master shoved the third wolf into the others and took off running down the street.

The three wolves looked at each other, grinned, and followed from a distance. If Pantera was around and came across Kumatetsu, there was another fight to watch.

~T~

Kyuta slowed down his pace. He had gone far into the market-place, reaching a water fountain set in the center of the town square. He was out of breath from running from his master, and needed to rest. Looking around, he saw that the street lights were all coming on as the sun set beyond the buildings.

No one else was in sight, all the other kids obviously went indoors for dinner by now- which meant he had no bullies to challenge.

Though, he was a bit relieved. If he tried to fight now, he knew, it would only end in humiliation for him. He looked into the water at his reflection. _What more can I do? I follow him around, I copy all his techniques, I do all the things he does… When am I going to get stronger?_ He wondered.

*Splash!*

A rock hit the water, followed by a quiet voice whispering, "Darn!"

Kyuta looked over, seeing Ichirohiko standing on the other side of the fountain. There were a pile of rocks beside him. "What are you doing? Skipping rocks?" he asked.

"Not quite. I'm trying to throw them up to the top of the fountain," Ichirohiko stated, pointing to the very top where water was flowing out.

Kyuta picked up a rock and tossed it up, having it go over the fountain. "It is difficult,"

Ichirohiko chuckled. "Try using telekinesis- then it's really tough,"

"Telekinesis…?" Kyuta thought, though remembered a feline Grandmaster who could move objects with his mind. "So that's your true strength?"

"I wouldn't say that… I'm still trying to get it right," Ichirohiko concentrated on a rock, once again trying to throw it to the top of the fountain, but only made it land a shorter distance than where Kyuta's landed. "Despite what my brother said before, I still have to improve in my training. Just because I can move objects without touching them doesn't mean I'm the strongest."

Kyuta picked up another rock. "I learned that true strength can be a lot of things. …though I'm still trying to figure out what mine could be," He was about to throw it, but paused. Remembering his last throw, he held back on throwing it as hard as he could, and rather focused on his aiming- holding back on his strength so that it didn't go over the fountain, but rather on top!

"Hey, you made it!" Ichirohiko chuckled, giving him a pat on the back. He then looked at another rock. "I'm going to try again…"

Kyuta bent down to pick up another rock himself-

*THWACK!*

"Agh!" A stone hit him upside the head! He looked at Ichirohiko, who was behind him. "What was that for?!"

But Ichirohiko was focusing on another rock, not even looking at him. "Huh? I didn't do anything-" he began to say, then looked at the rock that hit Kyuta… finding it was much bigger than the stones he was throwing. "That's not from my pile…"

They looked over their shoulders; seeing a silhouette in an alley; the son of Iozin gasped lightly.

"Kyuta. Run back to your master."

"W-What?" Kyuta questioned. "Who is that…?"

"No time for questions- hurry! Go!" Ichirohiko shoved him forth, forcing him to run.

The leopard-beast in the alley took off after him.

Ichirohiko thought fast; using all the strength of his mind, he had all the remaining rocks shoot through the air and hit Pantera upside the head. "Leave him alone!"

Pantera turned around, sneering. He sniffed the air, catching the child's scent… and grinned. "What makes you think a scrawny child like yourself can stop me?" he taunted, approaching the boy.

Ichirohiko stood tall. "I am the son of Iozin, the best fighter in Jutengai. Turn and leave our city-"

"Or what? You're gonna call your daddy?" He continued his approach. "Don't kid yourself. You're nothing like your father… you never will be. And you know why?"

The child only clenched his fists, his eyes looking toward the fountain.

"Because you're nothing more than a weak, powerless, stupid little hu-"

*SPLOOSH!*

The water flowing from the fountain suddenly curved, shooting forth into Pantera's face. Ichirohiko ran backwards towards some stairs, concentrating on the water-flow; when he couldn't strain his mind anymore, he turned and ran up the steps, turning a corner. "I must get help!" he whispered to himself, running through the streets.

Pantera wiped his drenched face, growling in frustration. He ran down the street, looking for any signs of the brat who doused him-

" _Kyuta! Where are you?"_

His ears twitched, hearing the familiar voice recognized from yesterday.

He looked in the direction Kyuta had gone, and smirked. He could worry about that other brat later.

…

Kyuta during this point was racing back home. The sun had gone completely down. The market was bare, many stands closed. He navigated his way through various booths, ducking behind counters, baskets and crates to keep out of sight.

Reaching the edge of the market, he looked out at the street. All was quiet.

If he were quick enough, he could make it to the house.

He looked left and right, checking all his surroundings. Chico perched on his shoulder, whimpering in concern; worried for his pet's safety, he set him on the ground. He held up his finger in a 'Wait Here' motion, before stepping out.

He walked out cautiously, keeping his eyes and ears strained. He made it to the center, relaxing. Perhaps he wasn't in danger.

"Is this yours?"

Kyuta turned around, gasping when he saw a leopard-beast clutching Chico in his grasp! The little mouse squeaked and thrashed, as the beast's grip was crushing him! "L-Let him go!" Kyuta snarled, picking up a rock.

"Ha ha! Nice threat, kid… but you don't stand a-"

Kyuta threw the rock.

Pantera merely ducked. "Chance."

*Chomp!*

Chico bit down on his thumb, making him snarl and toss the mouse! Kyuta ran off to the side, diving and catching the mouse. "Run, Chico!" the boy screamed, having the mouse run ahead as he took off in a sprint.

He was caught by the hair, Pantera gripping him by the head. "Stupid human. I'm going to enjoy getting rid of you,"

"W-What did I ever do to you?!"

The leopard-beast scoffed. He swung Kyuta upward, striking him in the back with his elbow. "You come into OUR world, and become an apprentice to a beast!" He then kicked Kyuta before he could even hit the ground, making him 'roll' in the air before hitting the pavement. "It's sickening! As if a human child could be anything like one of us!"

Kyuta got to his feet. "So what if I'm human?! I'm not trying to become a beast- I'm just trying to get stronger!" He then threw a punch.

Pantera caught his arm. "Heh. Yeah. Good luck with that!" He then threw Kyuta overhead, making the boy skid across the bricked street. "When I'm done with you, your master's gonna need a new apprentice…"

…

Chico ran through the street, climbing up to the top of a light-post and looking around desperately. He sniffed the air, then ran along hanging-lantern wires, along the edge of roofs in the market, before climbing to the top of a tree-branch.

Down below, racing around frantically and hollering, was Kumatetsu. Squeaking with relief, Chico leaped down, landing on the bear-beast's head and scurrying onto the tip of his muzzle. "What the- gah! Get off me, rodent!" Kumatetsu snapped, waving the mouse off, but Chico caught his paw, scurrying up to his shoulder.

The little white puffball squeaked, chirped, and whimpered loudly, hopping up and down on the master's shoulder, climbing all over his head in attempt to alert him.

Kumatetsu, irritated by a little mouse crawling all over him, grabbed the furball in his hand. "Huh…?" he paused, examining the mouse. "Oh yeah… you're that little vermin that's always on Kyuta's head…" his eyes widened. "Kyuta! Where is he?! What happened?!"

Chico squeaked, squirming out of his grasp and running down the street, pausing once to hop up and down as a way of saying 'Follow me!'. The bear-beast followed him with haste.

…

Kyuta ended up slamming into a wall, punched in the gut by Pantera. Within just five minutes the boy had a black eye, bleeding lip, and an aching body. He stood up, struggling to run up the stairs, but his legs quit and he lie on the steps.

"Ha! That's all you can take?! That wasn't even a quarter of the strength I have!" Pantera scoffed. "Worthless humans, you're all weak!"

Kyuta clenched his fists… he glared up at Pantera…

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S WEAK!" The boy shouted.

Pantera glared. "What did you say?!"

"You claim to be strong and powerful- but all you do is pick on people who can't fight back! That's not true strength- that's nothing but cowardice!"

Pantera scowled and grabbed Kyuta by the shirt, swinging him overhead and making him crash into barrels! "Who's a coward now?!" he began to approach the boy. "You can't fight me… you're nothing but a cocky shrimp! You don't belong in our world- and I'll get rid of you, one way or another!"

Kyuta winced, trying to get up, but his head was spinning. The leopard-beast was coming close.

His mind raced. He needed a plan… but he couldn't move, couldn't fight… there was no one else out…

His eyes widened. There was someone…

But… was he close enough?

Knowing how persistent his master was, there was a chance…

Pantera grabbed a barrel, holding it above his head, ready to crush this boy- this human, who dared live amongst them…!

Kyuta took in a deep breath-

Then shouted.

" _WHERE ARE YOU, YOU IDIOT?! I NEED HELP!"_

Pantera paused. He looked around. "Ha! Scream all you want, kid, but your master's nowhere nearby."

Kyuta, however, kept at it. _"C'mon, Kumatetsu! He's about to crush me- are you going to just let him kill your apprentice, you big dummy?!"_

Pantera sneered. "Why don't you shut your mouth, you stupid brat?!" he then threw the barrel-

Kyuta gasped and shut his eyes-

*CRASH!*

Splinters burst and scattered along the ground, as a sheathed sword suddenly smashed the barrel into pieces in mid-air. Kyuta covered his face to avoid getting it by the shards, looking up and recognizing the sheath easily.

"If anyone's going to rough up my 'stupid brat', it's going to be me." Kumatetsu snarled, standing between Kyuta and Pantera. "Now get the hell out of here!"

Pantera scoffed. "You think you can defeat me?! I am Pantera, the highest pupil of Lord Tao! I was taught amazing skills far beyond your knowledge!" he then lunged.

Kumatetsu blocked his attack, catching him by the foot and flipping him onto his back. "Apparently he never taught you to keep your mouth shut during a fight!"

Pantera snarled and got back on his feet, and the two beasts went at it, throwing punches, kicks, and trying to throw the other down.

The three gambling wolves watched from a distance. "I bet Pantera will bury him!" the first stated.

"No way- you saw how pissed Kumatetsu was! He's going to destroy that guy for messing with the kid!" The second replied.

"But Pantera looks stronger!" The third stated.

Chico in the meantime scurried over to Kyuta. The boy didn't look good. The mouse whimpered, tugging on his bangs. "Chico…?" Kyuta groaned; his head ached and his vision was starting to grow dark.

He shook his head, forcing himself to watch the fight. Kumatetsu managed to punch Pantera hard in the face and knock him to the ground, but the leopard-beast turned on his side and swung his legs, kicking the boy's master behind the knees.

Pantera then lunged-

*Crack!*

Kumatetsu, acting quick, stuck out his sheath, having the leopard's nose crash against the end of it. While the criminal was rubbing his face, the bear-beast stood up and swung the sheath, sending a blow to his stomach and knocking the wind out of his opponent, who fell onto his back, slightly dazed.

Kumatetsu took this time to back-track to Kyuta's side. "How are you holding up?' he asked.

"I can't move… L-Look out!" Kyuta gasped.

The master looked over, seeing that Pantera was back on his feet… then got on all fours, his knuckles on the ground; he then increased in size, becoming a massive creature, and charged!

Kumatetsu quickly threw off his robe (it landed on Kyuta) and grew to his larger form as well, his shirt ripping as he charged forth, crashing into his opponent before he could get any closer to his apprentice. The two pushed against each other, trying to force one another back.

The wolves watched as Pantera bit into Kumatetsu's shoulder, making him growl in pain. "No way! Is that legal!?" The second wolf gasped.

"I-I don't think so…!" The third stammered.

"It's a street-fight! There's no such thing as legal moves- but damn!" The first stated.

Pantera continued to push against his opponent. "Stupid beast… taking in a worthless human…!" he grunted, shoving him back, watching as he shrunk down; his shoulder was bleeding. Pantera reverted back as well and kicked him in the face. "You really think someone like him could get strong?! Look at him! You're wasting your time! He's weak, pathetic- his kind doesn't belong here!"

Kumatetsu growled, glaring at him. "I don't care if he's a human- he's still my apprentice! And I'm going to kick your ass for this!"

Pantera smirked, chuckling. "Oh? You care that much for him, hmm? Don't like others picking on your kid, 'Daddy'?"

*Crunch!*

The leopard-beast let out a whimper, as Kumatetsu had swung his sword up, hitting him with a low-blow. "Okay, I know for a fact THAT'S not legal!" The third wolf exclaimed.

"I was talking about that 'wasting my time' comment- when I put my mind to something, it gets done, and NO ONE tells me otherwise!" He kicked his opponent in the face when he sat up, making him skid back. "The kid's going to get strong- and he's going to stay here until I say so!"

Kyuta looked at him. His vision was becoming blurry, though he could hear everything.

"Now get out of the city- if I see your face around here again, I'm going to stick my sword somewhere YOU don't want it," He then turned his back on his injured opponent, walking towards his apprentice and kneeling down. "Still alive?"

"Ugh… yeah…" Kyuta said, sitting up- his body ached all over.

The boy looked over… Pantera was standing back up… he slammed his fist into the ground, pulling up a chunk of brick and throwing it with great strength.

"Kumatetsu!" Kyuta shot up, pushing his master back-

*Crackkkk!*

The brick hit him in the abdomen; all air left his lungs; he saw spots…

He fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

"Kyuta…" Kumatetsu gasped; his apprentice didn't answer. He turned towards Pantera. " _You son of a bitch!"_ Gripping his sword he rushed forth at great speed-

Pantera turned to evade-

The sheath swung up, hitting him in the throat. He choked.

Kumatetsu swung his sheath again, hitting him in the temple; then in the shins, slamming them hard enough to crack the bones. He then prepared to unsheathe the sword. "How dare you…!" he growled, rage boiling within him…

"Don't risk breaking the law for vengeance, Kumatetsu," came a voice, as Grandmaster Soshi suddenly appeared.

"Sir!" Kumatetsu sputtered. "This beast… he…! Did you see what he did?!"

"I saw him throw the brick… but judging from Kyuta's condition I believe I can imagine what happened." He looked over his shoulder, as someone else came running over. "You were right, Ichirohiko. This is the beast we were warned about,"

Kumatetsu looked. "You're Iozin's kid… What did you know about this guy?" he questioned.

"Only what I read on the poster. I was with Kyuta when I saw him, and told him to run…" Ichirohiko winced, seeing Kyuta unconscious. "I'm sorry… I tried to help him- I went to find my father, but I should have stuck with him…"

"You managed to distract Pantera long enough for Kyuta to get this far- otherwise both of you would have been hurt, and Kumatetsu wouldn't have found him in time. Thankfully I was on a stroll when the child bumped into me," Lord Soshi stated, patting Ichirohiko on the shoulder.

"Is he going to be okay…?"

Soshi looked over. "Well, Kumatetsu? I think he would recover quicker if you got him to the doctor,"

"Y-Yeah… Kyuta's a tough kid. He'll be alright," He scooped up the boy in his arms.

Ichirohiko picked up the bear-beast's robe, handing it to him; the master gave a nod, walking off. He looked at Pantera.

"Do not worry about our unwanted visitor- he shall get the punishment he deserves," Soshi stated, then ushered Ichirohiko along. "Hurry home now- your father must be worried sick,"

Ichirohiko nodded, hurrying off.

He looked back once, shaking his head. _I'll never let hatred overtake my heart,_ he told himself, hurrying home.

On the way, he saw his father. "Ichirohiko! Where have you been?!" Iozin demanded, looking quite worried. "It's past dark!"

"Sorry, Father. I was with Kyuta, and…" Ichirohiko shifted. "…Pantera was chasing after him. I tried to distract him so he wouldn't hurt Kyuta…"

"Pantera?!" Iozin looked his son over. "Did he hurt you? What happened?"

"He didn't hurt me. I managed to run off after Kyuta did, and found the Lord. But…" Ichirohiko winced. "Pantera caught up to Kyuta… h-he wasn't moving when I saw him… I'm sorry, Father- I tried to use my powers and help protect him, but… I couldn't…!"

Iozin held his son close. "Calm down, son. You did what you could, now we can only hope for the best," he sighed. "I'm just worried about what will happen when Kumatetsu learns of this-"

"He was there, Dad! …When we got to the scene, Kumatetsu was beating him up!"

"Really?" Iozin took this into consideration. "…Well. I cannot blame him. If that fiend harmed you or your brother, I would be beating him up too!" he cleared his throat. "But don't repeat this to Jiromaru or your mother. It's best they do not learn you had a run-in with such a criminal,"

"Okay, Dad." He followed him home. "…I hope Kyuta will be alright… humans aren't very strong, are they?"

Iozin looked at his son, resting a paw on his shoulder. "…There are some exceptions. For now, let us pray Kyuta recovers."

~T~

All was dark…

He couldn't open his eyes… he felt so tired…

Was he even awake?

His eyes opened slightly, though his vision was blurred so he could only make out shapes.

He shut his eyes; it hurt to open them…

He dosed off, hearing voices…

"Well, it seems he'll be alright. No broken bones, no internal damage… he may have a slight concussion, but other than that nothing too serious."

"You're positive?"

"I'm positive. Your boy will be okay."

"Double check. If he ends up walking out of here and suddenly his leg breaks-"

"We've fully examined him. That brute was obviously just playing around- not wanting to waste his strength on a child. However, from what he did do, it's amazing Kyuta didn't suffer any severe injuries. He's quite a trooper,"

"Of course he is! You think I'd be training him if he were a weakling?"

"Ha ha, I apologize. …He will have to stay overnight. You are welcome to stay, otherwise I can send word to you when he's ready to go home tomorrow."

"Forget that. I'm not leaving the kid alone in a hospital- God knows what he'd mess with up here!"

"Heh, very well. I will have a nurse fetch you some blankets."

…

Silence fell after that.

…

His dreams were nothing but stars, taking the shape of a whale.

…

" _Ren. Time to wake up, sweetie." Came a voice, and the first thing he saw was his mother's face._

' _Mom…?'_

" _Wake up, sleepy-head. You don't want to sleep the day away," She stroked his face, before backing up into a white light._

' _Mom.. wait…!'_

" _Better get up soon. Your master is waiting for you,"_

Kyuta groaned, opening his eyes to see a dim light shining overhead. On his chest Chico was resting, the little mouse fast asleep. The boy sat up a bit, waking the mouse who peeped with relief, nuzzling against his cheek. "Ha, hey Chico…" he said, though rubbed his aching head.

He felt bandages on his forehead. Sitting up a bit more, his entire body feeling achy, he noticed the bruises all over his arms, a large one on his torso, and a few bandaid-covered scratches here and there.

His mind was fuzzy. What happened…?

All he could remember was running into Pantera, the beast having such a strong intolerance for humans that he had no conscience if he killed a child.

He beat Kyuta bad enough to make the abuse he suffered from bullies feel like a pillow fight. The boy knew he couldn't outrun him, and tried desperately to fight back, calling the beast a coward- which he realized now was a very stupid mistake- before being thrown into barrels as Pantera approached him.

Kyuta looked down, petting Chico in his palm. He remembered his desperation, calling for his master, despite not knowing if he could hear him…

But he did, didn't he? His long-shot was a bulls-eye, miraculously enough.

The boy thought hard- he tried to concentrate on the fight, but his vision was fading. The last thing he remembered was leaping toward Kumatetsu when that brick hit him, then all went dark…

 _Wait… Kumatetsu… Where is he?!_ Kyuta thought, looking around the room. It was large and circular, with lights shining from the ceiling. There was a chair beside the bed, but no one was in it.

The boy shivered. Despite Juntengai's hospital looked different than the ones in his world, he still felt that familiar chill all infirmaries gave.

It didn't help that the last time he was in the hospital was when his mother died…

Chico, sensing his nerves, hopped up with a squeak. The boy held him close to his chest, shaking a bit. His eyes felt misty, but he forced them shut- remembering he couldn't cry if he lived with the bear-beast.

But where was he?

"K-Kumatetsu?" Kyuta called out, though his voice was barely above a whisper.

It was too quiet.

"Kumatetsu!" The boy looked around.

He remembered the voices he heard… his master said he was going to stick around… or did he just dream that?

The boy crawled out of bed. Maybe he could find a doctor who knew where the bear-beast was at.

His legs screamed in agony as he walked, but he pressed on. However a sharp pain shot through his tendons and his knees buckled, causing him to stumble and fall through the already-open doorway-

"Whoa!" A paw shot out, catching him by the shoulder while another steadied him. "Geez, Kyuta! I swear, even if your legs were broken, you couldn't stay in one place for more than five minutes!"

"K-Kumatetsu…?" The apprentice looked up at his master… who looked like he had been up all night. He gripped onto him, shoulders shaking. "Where were you, you big jerk?!"

"What? I can't use the bathroom? You were unconscious!" The bear-beast paused. "…You're shaking,"

Kyuta grunted, trying to force himself steady- but his body was still sore, his head was spinning, and his nerves felt shot. "I'm fine!"

Kumatetsu scoffed. Resting a paw on the boy's shoulder, he led him back to the bed. "Lie back down before you pass out again,"

The boy grimaced, but did as he was told. He looked down at his hands, lost in thought about all that happened.

The beast sat down next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"My whole body hurts," Kyuta admitted.

"And yet you were trying to walk out. …Well, at least that means your brain is still working the same way it does: barely."

The boy clenched his fists; on his head, Chico nested in his hair. "When can I leave?"

"Later- the doctor is going to check on you again to make sure you haven't suffered any head-trauma, so you're going to be here a little longer." He looked at a clock on the wall, which read 3 AM. "Until then I suggest you rest- no use running around if your legs are too sore to move."

Kyuta continued to stare at his hands. "What happened to Pantera?"

"Isn't it obvious? I beat him into next week. The Lord is having him dealt with, though the creep probably won't think twice about coming here without pissing himself after what I did to him." Kumatetsu looked at him. "What exactly happened back there?"

The boy thought back. "I was at a fountain with one of Iozin's sons, Ichirohiko. He was practicing his telekinesis and we were just tossing rocks into the water, when suddenly a rock hit me in the head and we saw Pantera in an alley; Ichirohiko had me run ahead, and he came after me…"

He paused, waiting for his master to call him out for running scared. Instead, all he said was, "Go on."

"I ran through the market, thinking I lost him. Before I could make it to our block, he grabbed Chico- trying to hurt him," he felt the mouse duck down in his hair. "I threw a rock at him and Chico got away, and I tried to run… but he caught me. I tried to fight back but… h-he was too strong… and I couldn't outrun him… and you know the rest. I couldn't do anything… all I could do was call for you…"

His hands gripped the blanket, his knuckles turning white. He was shaking again.

"It was weak, I know- but I didn't know what else to do!"

"Kyuta…"

"I know I'm not that strong, alright?! You don't have to point it out every time, but at least I tried to fight back!"

"Kyuta-"

"But it almost got me killed, so I had to call for your help, alright?! …I was lucky you heard me. If you weren't around, he… he would have…!"

"KYUTA."

Kumatetsu's voice was below a shout, but still stern enough to make the boy go quiet. The apprentice looked at his master, still lightly shaking. He looked down at the ground. "…I was scared, okay? There. I said it." He murmured. "Go ahead. Call me a wimp and get it over with."

The bear-beast sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fear doesn't make you a wimp, kid- you tried to fight back when you couldn't outrun him, so that took guts… but it was still stupid, since you knew you had no chance. You're not weak for calling for me, either; it would take a grown-beast to take down a bastard like Pantera."

Kyuta sighed. "I know… and I made things worse for me, calling him weak."

Kumatetsu arched an eyebrow. "You called HIM weak?"

"Y-Yeah… I mean, he was really strong, but he was beating up a nine-year-old! What could he gain from pummeling a kid?!"

The master looked at his pupil for a moment, before chuckling. "Ha ha! Geez, even when you're getting kicked around by someone twice your size you're still a cocky brat!"

"It's not funny! I should have kept my mouth shut…"

"Tch. And what? Let him keep feeding his ego the way he was? He probably wanted to kill you because you had a point. …The only reason I beat you is because you act like a smart-ass."

Kyuta huffed. "You wouldn't beat me,"

"Yeah?! Why not?!"

"Because you can never catch me!"

"I did yesterday!"

"Because you got lucky!"

Kumatetsu stood up. "Keep it up, and I'll make sure you STAY in this hospital!"

"Then who would be your apprentice? Chico?"

"Mm?!" Chico piped up, poking his head out of the boy's hair in alarm.

Kumatetsu scoffed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Apparently that fight didn't teach you anything. You're still a smart-ass,"

"And you're still-" Kyuta began to retort, though groaned; pain shot through his head and he leaned back. "…a headache."

"Heh. Now you know how I feel living with ya," Kumatetsu tussled his hair. "Now get some sleep. The more you rest, the sooner you can get better and we can get out of here."

Kyuta nodded, pulling the blanket up to his shoulder while his master sat back down in the chair.

…

It was almost 4 AM, but the boy had yet to fall asleep. Something was still on his mind.

He looked over, seeing that his master had fallen asleep, head resting on the edge of the bed, snoring loudly.

Kyuta looked at him. If it wasn't for Kumatetsu, that criminal would have killed him. Yet the boy never properly thanked his master. Was the bear-beast prone to gratitude? Respect, yes, though he had doubts his master would respond to 'Thank you for saving my life' without some sort of arrogant remark.

"I'll make it up to you," Kyuta promised quietly. "I'll get stronger, then I can defend myself."

He looked up at the ceiling; he hoped this would be the only time he would be in the hospital again.

His master snored. The clock on the wall ticked. Chico purred in his sleep on his head.

 _I'll get stronger… now that I know I'm not as weak as they say._ With that, Kyuta drifted off.

~T~

It was a method used only for the most dangerous of beasts.

Soshi had gathered all the Lords together for the ritual. How it went, no one else was supposed to know.

The only witness was Pantera, but he wouldn't be speaking of it. All he remembered was being engulfed in a white light before his vision grew fuzzy.

…

When his mind cleared… he was in a cage. _They think mere bars can hold me back?!_ He thought, rushing forth to break out-

*Clang!*

His body slammed against the bars. He tried to shout a curse… but only a roar came out. He paused- his voice was gone! He tried to stand up… only to find he could not balance. His body was different.

All he could do was walk on all-fours; his body, once bulky with muscle, was now slender; his clothes were gone as well.

He looked around, seeing there were other leopards above. They all growled and stared at him. He backed away, then heard voices.

Humans.

"I thought we only had four leopards in here?" One human asked his partner; they were both wearing odd uniforms.

"Must be a transfer from another zoo or something. Whatever- just make sure they're fed," The other replied, as they walked off.

Pantera slumped. _You have got to be kidding me…!_ He thought, before fainting.

 _What's with the new guy?_ One of the other leopards mentally questioned his companions, who only shrugged.

~T~

A week had passed since the Pantera incident, and by that time Kyuta was following Kumatetsu's every move.

Currently the boy was folding laundry while his master practiced his techniques, the lad copying his movements- going back to the laundry when his master would look over at him, the larger beast having to chuckle to himself.

Lord Soshi watched from a distance. Iozin was passing by, pausing to see what the Grandmaster was staring at. "I see Kyuta is doing alright," The boar-beast commented.

"Yes, it's as if nothing ever happened." Soshi had to chuckle, watching as Kyuta copied his master. "You know, there was one quality of Kumatetsu that always pleases me,"

Iozin looked at him. "What is that?"

"His lack of prejudice." With that, Soshi walked off.

Iozin looked back at the two, giving a nod in understanding, before leaving as well.

~T~

 **A/N: Aaaggghhhh I really wanted this to come out better…! XD**

 **I know I made Pantera pretty one-dimensional, but I wanted to give his character a 'reason' *cough*bullshit*cough* to intentionally go after Kyuta.**

 **I also wanted to give Ichirohiko some spotlight, as I wondered how his interactions with Kyuta went through their childhood (before he became insecure about his looks and became a psychopath). …I may include him more often- what can I say? He's dreamy when he's grown up~! …When he's NOT insane, I mean. *ahem***

 **Also, I didn't know what kind of punishment Pantera should get in the end- I thought about execution, but I figured him getting turned into a full-leopard and stuck in a zoo where he had to rely on humans would be more fitting (and psychologically torture him lol) …Otherwise he would probably get shot if he tried to attack them again.**

 **Anyway, I hope this wasn't too much of an eye-strain to get through. Hopefully the next chapters will be better!**

 **Please review and lend some constructive criticism. Flame and I will lock you in the cage with the leopards- and it's almost feeding time ;)**


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